Drawing-table.



PATENTED OCT. 9,, 1906.

T. S. HOMANS. DRAWING TABLE. APPLICATION 111L111) n11.17, 1904.

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, INVENTOR PATENTED OCT. 9, 1906.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

"DRAWING-TABLE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed March 17, 1904.Serial No. 198,612.

Patented Oct. 9, 1906.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS S. HoMANs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Brooklyn, State of New York, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Drawing-Tables;and I do hereby declare thefollowing to. be a full, clear, and eXactfdescription of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

My ,invention relates to drawing-tables which are usedmore especiallyfor the production of large-sized drawings, and particularly drawingswhich contain. a great deal of detail work, such as designs ofcomplicated machinery, &c.; and it consists of a certain new and usefulconstruction for facilitating the production of such drawings, ashereinafter fully explained.

It is now customary in mechanical drawing to use a large flat board onwhich the drawing-paper is fastened. It is obvious that the rear portionof such a board is more or less inaccessible from the front of thetable, from which, position the draftsman is obliged to work in order tobe able to view his drawing correctly. ,This defect in the methodbecomes greatly augmented in cases where a great deal of detail isrequired, and the attitude the draftsman must assume is necessarilyawkward, irksome, and unhealthful, and the process of drawingconsequently hindered. i i j The object of invention isto. obviate thisdifficulty of reaching over to the rear portion of the table; and myinvention consists, broadly, of a construction in which the table-top ismovable and is composed and made up of narrow longitudinal sectionssuitably hinged together and guided or constrained in such a manner thatwhen the draftsman moves the rear portion forward the front portion willbend, curl, or otherwise move out of the way.

Having thus explained the essential features of my invention, I will nowdescribe my preferredconstruction, referring to the accompanyingdrawings, which show the upper part of the table only, it beingunderstood that any suitable stand or substructure may be used. I

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device with the left-hand frame andsome other parts removed. Fig. 2 is a perspective view. Fig. 3 is adetailed side elevation of the front end with the left-hand frameremoved. Fig. 4 shows a portion of the front of the table in section.Fig. 5 is a detailed plan of one of the link-hinges.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the frames 1 are joined together by the ties2 and furnish bearings for the two revoluble shafts 3. Each of theseshafts has two sprocketwheels 4 fastened to it and situated just insidethe framework, one on either side. 5 represents the longitudinalsections, preferably of wood, which make up the movable table-top. (SeeFigs. 3 and 4.) Said sections have lugs or tenons 6 on their ends, whichfit into the recesses of the link-hinges 7 and are fastened to them byscrews 8. The links 7 are hinged together by the pins 9, which pinsproject beyond the links, partly for the purpose of engaging with thesprocket-wheels 4 their ends rest upon the ledges 10 of' the frames 1.Preferably the links form two that they lie close together and form onecontinuous surface when the chains are other when the chains are goingaround the sprocket-wheels 4. The ledges 10, forming supports for thepins 9, prevent any sag to the working surface of the table.

; endless chains, one on each end of the movable table-top. .Thesections 5 are so shaped The top thus formed may be moved forwarderbackward at will, at the same time always preserving a continuous andrigid working surface. The hand-wheel 11 is fastened to one of theshafts 3 in order to facilitate the moving of the table-top. Strips 12,which are part of the frames 1, furnish guides and rests for a T-squareor any one of the commonlyused parallel-motion rulers. v The paper maybe fastened directly to the table-top, as by thumb-tacks; but owing todiscrepancies in workmanship and shrinkage of material and thedifficulty of avoiding crevices between the sections 5 I have 'preferredto cover the tabletop with a flexible covering 13 stout enough to holdthe points of the drawing instru'mentsand to obviate any littleirregularity of the table-surface.

It will be seen that the sections 5 of the table-top present shar edgesor corners at the front and back 0 the table where the chains are bentaround the sprocket-wheels These sharp edges have a tendency to creaseboth the drawing-paper and the flexible covering 13 if the latter areallowed to cling to ITO the tabletop and follow it around the curves.This is not objectionable at the rear part of the table, for the reasonthat the drawingpaper need never go around that portion; but at thefront I prefer to use a semicylindrical guard 14, which is secured tothe frames 1. The covering 13 and the paper leave the movable table-topat the point where it be gins to turn and slide over this guard. Thedrawing-paper may either be fastened to the covering or may be fastenedto the movable table-top by tacks, which go through the covering. In thelatter case if the covering is made to go over the guard 14 tacks can beused only at the top of the sheet of paper, so consequently I prefer toemploy the flexible tapes 15, preferably of metal. These tapes may beendless and not attached to the table. Their purpose is to bind thecovering and paper to the table, and yet they are not tight enough toprevent the free movement of the covering over the guard.

I do not wish to limit myself to an endless construction of eitherchains, covering, or tapes, for the reason that the movable table-topmay be guided by grooves in the frames or by other suitable means andyet serve the purpose intended.

What I claim as new, and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is

1. In a drawing-table; the combination, with a suitable standard, of amovable tabletop supported thereon; said table-top being composed of aseries. of sections connected together by links forming endless chains;sprocket-wheels for controlling the movement of said chains aflexible-surface-covering for said table-top; a guard for keeping saidcovering away from the edges of the table-top; and flexible tapes forbinding said covering and the drawing-paper to the said table-top.

2. In a drawing-table, the combination with a suitable standard, of amovable tabletop composed of a series ofsections suitably connectedtogether and supported on the 7 standard, means for guiding the movementof the table-top, a flexible surface-covering for the table-top, and acurved guard arranged beneath the covering to protect the covering andthe drawingrpaper from the edges of the sections.

3. In a drawing-table, the combination with similar side frames, securedtogether with a space between them, of parallel front and rear rotatablesupports journaled between the frames, endless bands fitted to thesupports, a series of parallel cross-strips secured on the bands, a,flexible covering forthe strips, a curved guard arranged beneath thecovering at the front end, endless flexible tapes arranged outside ofthe covering to maintain the covering and drawing-paper in position.

4. In a drawing-table, the combination with a suitable standard, ofrotating supports journaled in the standard, a movable tabletop.composed of a series of connected sections, said table-top being carriedon the supports, and endless flexible tapes arranged around thetable-top adjacent to each end to maintain the drawing-paper inposition.

5. As a new artlcleof manufacture, a

drawing-table having a flexible, movable top, composed of a series ofseparate sections having flat upper surfaces, and a smooth, flexiblecovering secured to said sections, directly to receive thedrawing-paper, and in combination therewith a suitable frame, front andrear shafts journaled therein, sprockets on the ends of'said shafts, andendless chains on each side carried on said sprockets, the sectionsbeing secured at their ends to the respective chains.

6. In a drawing-table, the combination with a frame, of a movabletable-top composed of a series of sections arranged across the top andsupported on the frame, a flexible covering for the table-top, and a.cu-rved guard at the front arranged'beneath the covering as aprotection from the edges of the sections.

7. As a new article of manufacture, a drawing-table having incombination a supporting-frame, a sectional table-top for receiving thedrawing-paper movable onthe frame, a convexly-curved guard arranged atthe front ofthe table, and a flexible table-top secured on the sectionsto pass without the guard, to carry the paper over said guard.

8. As a new article of manufacture, a drawing-table having incombination a supportingframe-, a tabletop movableon the frame forreceiving the drawing-paper, said table-top consistin of a series ofsections covered by a fl'exib e cover, and a convexlycurved guard,having a smooth outer surface, arranged at the front of" the table, saidguard having its upper edge substantially in alinement with. thetable-top and adjacent thereto at the line where the table-top begins toturn downwardly, to permit the drawing-p aper to slide smooth anduncreased' over the outer surface of'the guard and be carried under thetable and there maintained in close contact with. the table-top, whilethe flexible cover also passes without the guard, substantially asdescribed and shown.

In testimony whereofI affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS S. HOMANS.

Witnesses:

